This is just one of the images in a series used in popular social media by the Pinal County Library System to celebrate National Library Card Sign-Up Month in September. There are 30 images total planned to be released daily by the library, each featuring benefits of having/using a library card. The images were created carefully to appeal to key demographics of social media websites. I liked how the library phrased their design process:

The graphics were inspired by the colorful, minimalist, and retro design style of Penguin and Pelican classic paperback novels. These iconic covers have seen a revival of popularity with internet and graphic design communities, including revisions of contemporary novels, album art, and more.

See the full explanation of the project and accompanying images at the Pinal County Reads blog.

I am a social librarian! Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Actually, it isn’t. The following infographic was created by Elsevier and librarian Joe Murphy in recognition of how “the social librarian is enmeshed in the fabric of the Internet of Things as curator, educator, filter and beacon. In this complex, dynamic and demanding environment, librarians are extending themselves and empowering library users.” I think infographics like this are great because it brings to light the varied roles modern librarians are often asked to assume. Librarians are not just people that shush and shuffle books anymore – if they ever were! Even if you don’t agree with the classifications and tasks described in this infographic, I believe that it is a good starting point to launch a discussion in the profession about modern librarianship.Continue reading →

Based on the DVD recording of the same name, comedian Bill Engvall performs a set filled with the usual folksy observations but this time focused on the dreaded state of middle age and the even more dreaded state of what comes next. Much of the material is inspired by Engvall’s feeling that the world has changed for the worse, or at least, the more complicated, with “date nights” a requirement to see your spouse and where ridiculous stunts like Zip-lining are the only way to vacation. “All this stuff is turning me into someone I don’t want to be. That grouchy get-off-my-yard guy” says Engvall but he finds it hard to admit that men don’t go “Clubbing at 50” (“Ok, the VFW hall, the elks lodge… I got that”). His confusion with feeling young inside and quite older on the outside is what drives the album. Fans know that the grumpy old man thing fits Engvall better than he’d ever care to admit.

This is such a cute meme! I am the stereotypical librarian: I love cats. So this picture makes me happy on three levels. It is cute and features a cat, it expresses my feelings about my to-be-read pile of books, and it satisfies my love of puns – look closely at the titles of the books upon which the cat is sitting. “Wonders of the Cat World,” “I Scratched Your Chair and I Don’t Care,” and “The Cat in the Hat” are just some of these titles.

It seems that I have less time to read since I’ve become a librarian, and at the same time, I’ve become aware of so many great books. What a conundrum! Some books I’d like to read are the new Bill Bryson book coming out this fall, the most recent Robin Owens book in the Celta series, and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. What about you? What are some books you’d like read but haven’t been able to find time for yet?